The Legends: The Complete Trilogy
by TheLegends4
Summary: Link, Katniss, Samus, Mario and Luigi are called to the land of Minecraftia to face an evil unlike any other: Herobrine. But is Herobrine the real threat? Or is there a more dangerous, offworld plot? And will Link discover who he really is inside? Narrated mostly in Link's PoV. Rated T just to be safe (There's violence and minor language).
1. Chapter 1

**_~PART ONE~_**

* * *

I stand before a large, spacious field. In fact, it's much larger than the field that takes up the majority of my country. This field is covered in tall grass, with flowers of several types popping up here and there, small ponds taking up a rather small percentage of the space, and a small forest on either side. This is one of the many great fields of the land of Minecraftia.

I have learned a lot about this place. It's a world made up entirely of blocks, the people being the only round objects. Even the sun, moon, and stars are blocky. It's a strange world, one of the many worlds in this galaxy of ours.

After taking in such awesome scenery, I swing my large shield over my back, my sword of legend on my right hip, and begin my trek towards the forest opposite me. Some would call me odd, considering my weapon choice and garb, not to mention my long, pointed ears and dirty blonde hair. Those who live in my country, however, call me a hero. They recognize the sword and shield I carry, the tunic I wear, and the triangular symbol on my left hand. They call me the Hero of Time. Yes, that's right. I am Link, of the Kingdom of Hyrule.

I don't know the main details as to why I'm in Minecraftia. All I know is: I was called by a man named Notch to come to Minecraftia, and that I was to bring the Master Sword with me. No explanation why, though. So I obeyed, drew the Master Sword from its pedestal and left Hyrule.

As I enter the forest, I get a sense that I'm being watched. Carefully. Keeping one hand on my sword, I walk through the woods, my light footsteps barely making any sound. Suddenly, I hear the sound of an arrow being drawn back, and I know it's coming from right behind me.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you now." The voice was female. I didn't recognize its owner, but I knew by the determination in the voice that she was dangerous. Thinking fast, I whirled around, drawing my sword and deflecting the arrow as the girl looses it from the bowstring. The arrow lands about ten yards away to my left. I point my sword at her as she draws another arrow. She is young, about eighteen, and suddenly I find this whole situation quite amusing. Not because she was a girl, but because she was unable to shoot me from point blank range. My skills easily outmatched her own. I sheath my sword and put my hands in the air as she draws back the arrow.

"Don't you dare move another inch, or I swear I'll kill you here and now." She says.

"That would not be wise." I say calmly. I knew how to handle a situation like this with ease, turning my enemies into allies. It has happened before, in my recent past, actually. Not that I really cared about my past, though.

"Oh?" She sounds confused. "Why not?"

"Because I can be a powerful ally." Upon saying "ally", I get an instant flashback from her mind. She watched as a young, dark-skinned girl died in her arms. They were in a forest, and there was a young man's body in the picture, a silver arrow sticking out of his chest.

"I don't need another ally." She says. Apparently the event was too much for her.

"Then by all means, kill me." I reach for my sword again, waiting for the arrow to fly. When nothing happens, I look at her. Her eyes are trained on my left hand, and she undraws the arrow. Finally, she gets it.

"You're a Legend?" She asks, sheathing the arrow and slinging the bow onto her back.

"Yes. Now do you understand why you shouldn't kill me?"

"I'm sorry." She pulls back the left side of her jacket, revealing a small golden pin. It's a bird in flight, carrying an arrow in its beak. "I didn't realize who you were."

"I'm sorry, too." I say. She looks at me with more confusion.

"For what?"

"For what happened to your friend, the dark-skinned girl."

"How do you know about that?"

I show her the Triforce of Courage on my left hand. "The Triforce of Courage can do many strange things. One of these traits is the ability to read one's mind. I don't use it often, though, since it's somewhat of a nuisance to others." I begin to walk away, motioning for her to follow me. She does, and I try to restart our conversation, since neither of us seem to like memories.

"My name is Link, by the way." I say.

"Katniss." She says, and I notice a small smile forming across her lips.

* * *

"So, you've saved your world from a powerful wizard?" Katniss and I were out of the woods now, and we could see a village in the distance. Yet another field. She had asked the question.

"Seven, actually." I reply. "Some people called the Black Mesa. Nasty buggers they were, and hard to deal with. But, in the end, everything worked out fine. Lost my Ocarina, though, so the Hylian Royal Family doesn't exactly like me at the moment, since it's a royal artifact."

"Wow, I feel so... weak. You've fought so many people and learned so much. I... I could never amount to that."

"The more you sell yourself short, the more vulnerable you become. Don't worry, Katniss. Some people are different from others, but each one of us can do something great. You saved your country from whatever demented game that involved kids killing each other for entertainment. That's pretty big."

"You remind me too much of one of my friends. You almost look like him, too."

I laugh. Here I thought I was a unique person, with my own looks and style, and yet Katniss now tells me her friend looks like me. I search her mind secretly for that friend, and I find a blonde boy with toned muscles and a love for frosting cakes. I return to my thoughts.

"Let me see..." I say. "Tall, blonde, muscular, loves frosting cakes, carrys one hundred pounds of flour with ease, and belongs to the name 'Peeta Mellark'. Am I right?"

"You're right." She says. "Now make your Triforce stop reading my mind!"

I laugh, and she chimes in. She isn't bad company, I guess.

We enter the village, and I can't help but notice how humble the place is. Small housing, wheat farms, and gravel paths throughout. One house stands out above the rest, though. It sits at the edge of the village on a hill, and outside it are three figures. One is an old man, the second another young girl, and the third a young man in blue armor.

The old man greets us as we approach his home. He has a short beard, short hair, and he's... well, short.

"Welcome, Legends," He says. "To Rikaru Village." In my traditional Hylian manner, I bow quickly when meeting a figure of importance. I had used my power to find him to be the Elder of the village.

"Elder," I say. "I take it you were expecting us?" More Triforce powers. I am a god at this.

"Yes. Please, come inside. Your companions are waiting for you."

He motions for us to enter, and I let Katniss go first. I follow, but not before I catch the young girl winking at me. I raise an eyebrow, then put it back down and walk inside as if nothing happened.

* * *

"Well, look who it is."

I open my arms to receive the hug that Samus gives me. Samus, who has been my long-time friend, and not one for hugs. I was quite taken aback.

I've known Samus for a few years now. We met at a tournament shortly after I had banished Ganondorf, the King of Evil, into the Sacred Realm. She easily beat me in the match, but only because she had her high-tech Varia Suit on her. Since then, we never really talked much, but we've been rather fond of each other. We've grown so close that we're almost siblings.

The other two people waiting are none other than Mario and Luigi. These two goofballs I've known a bit longer than Samus, but only by a few days. At the tournament, all four of us talked strategies (Big mistake on my part) and how to beat our opponents, and when we weren't doing anything we would always practice our skills. Mario and Luigi were more of the hang-loose kind of guys back then, but they were downright lethal in battle, which was one of the reasons why they were my friends.

Katniss isn't exactly very social, apparently. She is watching me reunite with my friends, and at the same time watching the quiet girl that greeted us. Why was she so quiet? She hadn't even opened her mouth at all since we met. I am, of course, trying not to focus on the subject right now, but Katniss doesn't seem to feel very comfortable about all this.

"I see you are already friends." The Elder says to those of us who were socializing. "Let's get down to business. Please, have a seat." We sat. Well, except Katniss. She kept an eye on the quiet girl, as if trying to figure out why she was so quiet (Why am I worried about this?).

"I don't suppose you all know who Herobrine is?" The Elder asks. My eyes light up. I know who He is. The terror of Minecraftia.

"Herobrine?" I ask. "You mean, THE Herob-"

"Do NOT sound his name a third time!" The Elder bellows. "Only doom will you bring upon us if you do so!"

"Link," Katniss says flatly. "Maybe your Mind-Reading skills need some better control, because you almost got us into trouble."

I wasn't using Mind-Reading. I actually studied all this. She obviously doesn't know that, though.

"Sorry," I say, mocking her tone. "I just can't believe we're actually facing the terror of Minecraftia. I mean, am I really the only other person in this room who knows who Herobrine is?"

Oh, oops.

As soon as I finish my sentence, the entire village goes dark, and blood red clouds form over our heads. Then the squeals come. Pig-like squeals that terrorize the village, sending the people into a frenzy. Well, this turned out to be a lovely day.

"Quickly, Legends! You must escape the village!" The Elder motions for us to leave. The five of us ready our weapons and bust through the front door like it was made of paper. We weren't even thinking of bringing the Elder and his two friends with us.

As we run, Samus primes her Varia Suit and starts shooting at the Zombie Pigmen, which were the owners of those terrible squeals. Man, were they ugly. The rest of us bring out our weapons as well: My sword and shield, Katniss' bow, Mario and Luigi's beam swords. We hack away at those things without stopping, trying to reach the edge of the village alive.

"I suppose now isn't exactly a good time to apologize?" I ask, panting.

"Just shut up and keep moving!" Samus yells. Excuse ME, Princess.

As we run, I hear a loud explosion, and I don't have time to turn around before Mario shouts out "TNT". When I do turn, I realize he's right. TNT is going off, and it's headed straight for us.

"Keep moving if you want to live!" Samus calls.

We stay quiet, barging through the rest of the Pigmen as we escape the village into the forest Katniss and I came from. There, we watch as the village quickly explodes, then slowly burns its way to the ground.

"Now, Link, you can apologize." Samus says.

"Forget it, the moment's gone." I snap.

"Well, I'd have to say you guys did an excellent job in burning down my village. Too bad there's no jail to put you in for it." We turn to face the blue-armored man and the quiet girl standing before us, completely unharmed.

"How did you get here?" Luigi asks. "Wait, don't answer that. Who are you two?"

"My name is Steve, Captain of the Guard of Rikaru Village." He gestures to the girl. "This is Eleanor. The Elder was her grandfather. She and I are joining you two on your quest."

"You're a Legend as well?" Samus asks.

"The very first, actually." He looks at me, his eyes full of rage. "Don't forget that." I don't plan to.

"So, Eleanor." I say. "Not to be rude, but why are you so quiet? You haven't spoken a word since we met."

"That's none of your concern." Steve says.

"I believe she can speak for herself." Samus says flatly. Steve gives her a glaring look.

"She was born mute." He retorts. "She can't speak. Never even cried at birth."

I give Eleanor a saddened look, and she returns it with a tear streaming down her face. I guess Steve and I both need lessons on personal space. A wind chill whips through the forest, and Eleanor shudders. Upon instinct, I pull out a cloak from my pouch and wrap it around her shoulders.

"Well, she's stuck with us now." I say. "Best we keep moving. We don't want another attack like that."

The others nod, and I volunteer to lead the way. Steve objects, saying something about me being an idiot, and takes command of the group.

It's going to take a lot more than simple kindness to become the leader of the group.

* * *

_**Right, so, if you probably know by now, I'm not really paying much attention to my other stories. This is because of a lack of ideas, and simply because they aren't stories that have previous drafts. Well, The Legends does, and in fact it's an entire trilogy of drafts that need to be turned into stories. **_

_**If you guys must know, this whole story is a crossover of Smash Bros and Minecraft, with Katniss from Hunger Games, and a surprise element (Well, four, actually). She is actually an influential character in the journey, as well as Samus and Eleanor (Whom I created myself. Well, just Eleanor). **_

_**Bit of a backstory on this: My friend Juliette came up with the idea of The Legends about a year and a half ago, but she didn't have time to develop the story. So I took it upon myself to write the story. Originally, the protagonists were Link, Katniss, Luigi and Steve, but I added Mario, Samus and Eleanor because I needed more characters.**_

_**If you guys don't like the idea of an evil Herobrine, that's not my problem. See, I started Minecraft in 1.2.5, and I had the Herobrine mod on. And let me tell you, I was scared to death of the guy. So in my books, he is considered evil.**_

_**Please tell me how the story is so far!**_

_**-Legends**_


	2. Chapter 2

It was late evening when we finally set up camp. Of course, none of us actually had camping equipment, so Steve had to go chop down some trees and stuff. To be honest, the idea of survival in Minecraft escapes me, especially when Steve pulls out an entire bed and places it down like it weighed nothing. He did this with six more beds while Katniss and I set up a fire. Eleanor quietly watches us, me mostly. She doesn't try to interfere, she simply sits on her bed and waits for someone to ask her to help. Steve does occasionally, asking for assistance in building something to protect us from hostile monsters.

_Great,_ I think. _More Zombie Pigmen._

Steve goes all-out with his little wall. There's a staircase leading up to an upper level, where there's a few trees and a guard post. Katniss will take first watch.

Eleanor adds her own style of security to the wall. Despite being mute, she knows a lot about how to put things together. She creates an iron door that can only be opened from the inside, and places torches on either side to ward off monsters. I wonder if her parents taught her to do this. For some reason, though, I don't think she would have learned such skill from her parents. Steve has been her only friend her entire life (So he says), so maybe it was he who had taught her. But where were her parents?

"Steve?" I call. Steve is testing Eleanor's door, making sure it works. He turns to me.

"Do you know what happened to Eleanor's parents?" I ask. A wave of uneasiness overwhelms him.

"She was part of the Royal Family of Antioch." He says. Suddenly the atmosphere changes. Everyone, even Katniss, who is on watch, turns to face him. He doesn't seem to notice, though, and continues.

"When she was born, her father became upset because she was mute. He had his father take her away to Rikaru Village, never to be seen again. I was born one year later, but because of a certain incident, I was banished from the kingdom at the age of six. SIX. I haven't heard from Antioch since, so I've assumed they have forgotten us. Not that it matters, though."

We stare in silence as he finishes the story. Eleanor and Steve, not only blood-related siblings but also heirs to the throne of a great kingdom. I am about to ask him another question when he continues.

"Antioch is not the only kingdom in this world." He says. "There is another, ruled by a young, yet ruthless king named Miklo. We call this kingdom Craftia.

"Originally, Craftia was ruled by King Rikaru, the ruler whom our village was named for." -I get a pang of guilt- "And then Miklo came. Wielding an army of hundreds of thousands of men, he attacked Craftia and killed the King, taking the crown and the King's four-thousand-year-old sword in triumph. This only happened two years ago. Miklo was only sixteen then."

That made him as old as Katniss now. I am twenty, so I'm still the older, more powerful one. I couldn't wait to meet this guy and tell him that.

"Now, Miklo threatens to expand his territory and take Antioch as well. We must stop him."

"No offense," Samus says. "But what does this have to do with our mission to defeat... erm... Him? If you know who I mean."

"I do." Steve replies. "And it has a lot to do with the mission. See, Miklo serves 'Him'. And if he is allowed to continue with his plan, he will only get in our way. Which is why we must stop him before he does."

Good, now we're clear on the matter.

* * *

It's dark now, and we are all sitting around the fire, letting it slowly die down as we watch in silence. My mind goes back to an earlier time in my life when I was exploring a land called Middle Earth. I met some dwarves there who had taught me a song that they would sing in memory of their great king, Thorin. For some reason, though, Hyrule is the only world that has never heard this song. Every other world in this galaxy has heard it, including Samus' homeworld and Earth. It makes me a bit jealous, but we don't know the song because Hylians tend to stay secluded from other worlds.

I can't resist the urge to start singing the song, so I do, and to my surprise, people are listening.

_Far over the Misty Mountains cold  
To dungeons deep and caverns old.  
We must away ere break of day  
To find our long forgotten gold._

To make the moment even more haunting, not only does Eleanor start to fall asleep, but the others start to join into the song.

_The pines were roaring on the heights.  
The winds were moaning in the night.  
The fire was red, it flaming spread.  
The trees like torches, blazed with light._

The moment feels so short-lived, we continue singing the next 25 verses. We don't know any particular order, so we just sing the verses our way. I watch as Eleanor slowly drifts into sleep, smiling at her as she keeps warm under the covers of her bed.

Once the song is over, we just sit there, watching as the last glowing embers of the fire die off. I get up and walk up to Katniss' post. She is sitting in a tree, bow armed and ready to fire.

"Hey." I say casually.

"Hey." She looks down at me, one eyebrow raised. "Can't sleep?"

"Not while you're on watch." I tease. She laughs a bit, then returns her face to her normal, cautious look.

"So, what's on your mind?"

I sigh. "I can't get over the thought of Eleanor being cast off by her parents, being mute and all. It just doesn't feel right."

"She likes you." I don't blush at this statement, since I know several girls that like me. One of which is a fish princess. Awkward.

"You think I haven't noticed?" I reply.

"Well," She looks into the starry sky. "I didn't say that."

I look over at Eleanor's sleeping form, thinking about what we're going to do once we get to Antioch. Will her father accept her? Will she finally reunite with her family after all these years? Or will she be rejected again? Just thinking about it made me hurt inside.

"I've got to admit, though," I say, drawing Katniss' attention again. "She's starting to grow on me. I just hope we can keep her out of harm's way."

"We will, Link." She replies. "We just need your courage to lead us to safety."

Is she trusting me to lead us? She must be, because she's not too fond of Steve for saying otherwise. I think about her words, focusing mainly on the word "courage". I look at my left hand. The Triforce of Courage glows softly through my gauntlet.

_My courage._

Thinking about what it meant, I get up and leave Katniss to her guard post. I walk over to the dead fire pit, find a bed through my Hylian night vision, and lay down on top of the covers. My sword and shield lay to my right, my belt to my left. I feel something bumping up against my back, and I reach under and pull out the cloak I had lent to Eleanor to keep her warm from the chilly breeze this afternoon. Instant regret floods my mind, and I can't help but feel sorry for ruining Eleanor's life. Her home, her grandfather, everything she grew up with was gone. Now I had to make up for it by protecting her.

I eventually drift off into some sort of sleep that doesn't allow me to wake up, because I have a nightmare tonight. I stand in a black room, trying to figure out where I am and where I'm going, but I can't see the way. Dust particles fill my lungs and I choke, coughing up what feels like blood, warm and salty. Yuck.

I keep walking, and eventually I come up to a small building surrounded by lava. I enter the building, only to find it to be a wall surrounding the real building. My friends are all fighting Zombie-Pigmen, trying to keep the hordes at bay. I try to help, but Samus points up to the top of the building and tells me to go up. I obey, not wanting to annoy Samus, and run inside the building. When I reach the top, I see what appears to be Steve, but without the blue armor. He has white, glowing eyes, a vengeful face and a blue sword in his hand. He lunges. I reach for my sword, but somehow it's not on my back and suddenly I feel an immense pain coming from my gut. He stabbed me. But Steve was my friend, unless...

I look into his eyes, and the last thing I hear is:

_enirboreH ma I._

I wake up in a cold sweat, panting and gasping for air. It's just hitting dawn, and I notice that Katniss and Mario have switched jobs. I look over at Eleanor, only to find an empty bed. Panicking, I grab my sword and belt and run up to the guard post. Mario has fallen asleep, and to my relief Eleanor is at the base of the tree, watching the sunrise. I smile, and quietly walk over to her side.

"Hey." I say. I know she can't talk, but perhaps we can communicate somehow. She looks at me and waves, which means she's at least responding. Perhaps she knows how to use sign language, which is one thing I understand but can't seem to master myself. I ask her if she can use it.

_"Fluently." _She says. Thank goodness for that.

"OK, good." I try to think of something else. "Umm... I suppose I should apologize for yesterday."

_"It's alright. I'm still a bit sad, but I've learned not to grieve for long periods of time."_

"Well, thank you for your forgiveness. I just feel bad about saying... you-know-what, you know?"

_"Yeah, you have to be careful about that name. It's kind of a rule in this world."_

"I always thought that you should never be afraid of saying a name." I look into her eyes, which are literally a brighter blue than mine. "That the only thing you should fear is fear itself."

_"I wish that were true, Link."_ It is the first time she has "said" my name. She has to use the symbol for "link", as in chain link, but I get it.

"Eleanor?" Steve's voice calls. The others are getting up. Steve pokes his head out from our little cave, and breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, you're up here. Well, we're leaving now. One of you might want to wake up Mario."

I laugh, because I know Mario, and if there's anything he's good at besides fighting, it's sleeping, eating, and literally fire-bombing a toilet. Luigi is practically his twin. I'm starting to regret going to that tournament now, because I'd rather not know that particular detail.

We finish packing in less than ten minutes, because Steve easily breaks down the beds and puts them in his pack like they weighed nothing. Minecraftian Physics are another thing I'll never quite understand. And then there's the floating islands that I see on occasion, which aren't quite as weird, since we have those in Hyrule.

Once everything is accounted for, we leave our little cave and continue down the road to the ocean. I can't see it, but I know we're getting close.

As we walk, we come across a large city with a huge castle. At first, I think it's Antioch, but then I remember Steve's story and I get a feeling we'll be paying a visit. Steve urges us to keep going, but Eleanor falls and clutches her foot, tears flowing out her eyes. Steve and I take a look, and we see a ton of pus oozing out of a massive blister on her heel. Yeah, we're guaranteed a visit.

I hold her steady while we walk towards the gate to the city. It's closed, so Steve begins to shout. He almost gets killed.

Several men in blue armor flow out of the gates and surround us, bows ready to fire. We draw our own weapons, preparing for a battle. Fortunately, that doesn't happen, because I have to stop Eleanor from trying to push over one of the men. He aims his bow at her, forcing me to leap out to protect her.

"Don't shoot!" I yell. "Don't shoot!"

One soldier comes up to us and nocks a wicked-looking arrow onto his bowstring.

"Don't you dare move, kids," He says menacingly. "You're trespassing on Crusader's property!"

"Don't make me switch to plasma." Samus retorts, mocking his tone.

"Samus, maybe we can reason with them." I say. The soldier laughs at my remark, saying how stupid he thinks it is. He then directs his men to lower their bows and disarm us. We cooperate, although hesitantly.

"You are all under arrest for trespassing." The soldier says. "Come with us."


	3. Chapter 3

No, we're not in prison. In fact, most of us are honored guests at a big feast that King Miklo has provided. Yes, Miklo. The guy we're trying to get rid of so he won't interfere with our journey. And, to make matters worse, he's started calling Eleanor his sister. She's sitting up at the head table with Miklo and his army general, who was the same guy that arrested us.

When I say most of us are honored guests, I mean all of us except Mario and Luigi. THEY'RE the ones in prison right now, and not for the reason you think.

While we were getting a tour of the place, Steve said something to Mario and Luigi about some sacred diamonds inside the castle. Miklo had shown us the room earlier, but he never let us inside. Apparently, Mario and Luigi were told to get the diamonds and get out of the city, but they were caught at the front gate. As for the diamonds, we don't know if Mario and Luigi still have them or not.

During the feast, Miklo tells his little orchestra to play some slow music, which gives me an idea. A really bad idea. But now isn't the right time to reveal it, so I stay quiet.

"Ugh." Steve groans. "I can't stand to look at that guy."

"Who?" Samus asks. "Miklo?"

"Yeah. Look at them. Same hair, eyes, facial features. The only difference is Miklo can speak. But how is that possible?"

"What do you mean?" I ask. "He might just be a doppelganger or something."

"No, that can't be right." Steve shakes his head in disbelief. The confusion in his eyes keeps growing. "I did hear something about the Antioch Royal Family having two more children, but one of them was killed in a battle three years ago, and the Queen died of childbirth after the other one. So, it's practically impossible that Miklo would be her brother, let alone actually know anything about her."

"That is confusing." Katniss says, then looks around the room. "Where are Mario and Luigi?"

"You haven't heard?" Samus asks. "They tried to escape with some diamonds, but they got caught at the front gate. They're in prison now."

"Which brings me to my plan." I say. The others look at me in complete disbelief.

"You have a plan to get out of here?" Steve says.

"You'd better believe it. And since we're allowed to roam the castle, it just makes things easier to do. So here's my idea: Samus, you look for Mario and Luigi, and by all means necessary get those diamonds. Katniss and Steve, you guys search for a way out of the castle."

"What about you?" Katniss asks, clearly annoyed that I hadn't included myself.

"I'm going to ask Eleanor for a dance. The rest will follow." I get up, then remember the last of my plan. "I'll wait until you guys return. Don't come back until your missions are complete." I leave, and walk up to the head table without hearing their objections, probably about working together. If they want to bicker, I don't want to hear it.

"King Miklo?" I say, bowing. "If I may." I say this in my usual Hylian manner when addressing royalty, and direct my hand to Eleanor. Miklo's response is rather harsh.

"My sister will NOT dance with the likes of YOU, 'Hero'," He says. So much for being honored guests. "You may return to your-"

Eleanor gets up and lets me lead her onto the dance floor. I can hear Miklo grumbling to himself, but he doesn't make a move to arrest me. I look over to my table, watching as Katniss and Steve get up to leave. Samus must have left while I was talking to King Miklo.

As Eleanor and I dance, I make sure to lower my voice just enough so only she can hear as I tell her the plan. When I finish, she seems a bit worried, but I can tell she's willing to get out one way or another.

We dance for what feels like a long time, even through more upbeat songs. I think Miklo might be giving me dirty looks, but I ignore them. If I want Eleanor to get out, she's going to have to stay with me at all times.

* * *

***SAMUS***

I stalk the hallways of the dungeon, calling out Mario's and Luigi's names ever so silently, yet loud enough for them to hear. I'm not wearing my Zero Suit, though. I wear a blue leather tunic and black tights, along with brown leather boots. Originally, I was asked to wear a really long, fluffy dress, but there was no way in hell I was going to be seen in that, let alone walk around in it. So they made sure to lengthen the tunic just below the knees so I at least looked somewhat feminine.

All of our weapons had been taken from us, so I was defenseless. Well, not entirely. I had my energy gun from my Zero Suit with me, but that was it. Everything else was locked away somewhere in the castle.

"S-Samus?"

I turn to face the cell on my left. There, lying on the ground, is Mario, with Luigi at his side. They both appear to be recovering from a concussion or sorts, but from the looks of it, Mario must've got it worse than his brother. I nearly shout out at the sight.

"Shh!" Luigi says. "There might be guards around."

I lower my voice to a whisper. "What happened to you two?"

"W-We stole the diamonds from their S-Sacred Chamber." Mario stutters. He's clearly in a worse state than Luigi. Now how to get them out of here?

"But," Luigi continues. "They caught us at the gate. They don't know we have them, though, or they would have sounded the alarm hours ago."

I let out a sigh of relief, but I still have no idea what the diamonds are for. I make a mental note to ask Steve later, while Luigi pulls out a small leather bag containing three glowing diamonds, which are blue, of course.

"So how do I get you out of here?" I ask.

"There's a guard that comes around every twenty minutes or so. He has the keys to the cell."

I nod, and I'm about to stand up when I hear the unmistakable _shing_ of a sword being drawn from its sheath. I feel the cold, blue metal touch my neck, and I freeze.

"You aren't going anywhere." A voice says behind me. I match it with the owner of the sword. Being very agile, I move my head away from the blade and roll away from the man behind me, turning around and pulling out my hidden energy gun. Before the man can do anything, I pull the trigger, sending a bolt of energy at him and bringing him unconscious to the ground. I search his belt and find the keys to the cell.

"Come on," I say as I free the two. "Let's meet back with Link."

* * *

***KATNISS***

As Steve and I walk through the barren, stony hallways of the castle, I become more and more agitated at the fact that we haven't found an exit yet. We have, however, found the storage where our weapons are, and make a note to bring them with us on our way back.

"I swear, I'm about ready to kill you if we don't find an exit soon." I'm more angry than Steve, who's probably had enough with this search.

"We're supposed to be in this thing together, Katniss." Steve replies. He seems to be much calmer than I am. "Besides, you can't just go around killing people because you're angry." Ouch. I get a pang of horrid memories from my recent past, memories of Games I had helped destroy, of a government I helped bring down. Link's words come to my mind:

_"The more you sell yourself short, the more vulnerable you become."_

I just barely come out of my thoughts when Steve stops me. I had almost walked into a wall. I look outside a small window, feeling the cool night breeze hitting my face. I don't recognize the outside terrain, but Steve does.

"This window is just to the left of the Castle Entrance." He says proudly. "From here, we can escape through the front gates and get out of here."

Good. I'm sick of this place.

* * *

***LINK***

The orchestra is just finishing up an upbeat song when I see everyone else file into the room. Mario and Luigi stay out of sight, but by Samus' presence, she's found them and the diamonds. I turn to Eleanor.

"Alright. They're here now, so I'm going to begin Phase 2 of my plan, OK?"

Her hands are shaky now, but I understand what she says.

_"I'm ready."_

Taking her hand in mine, I quietly whisper a forbidden word three times, and the lights go out, and thunder rolls outside. People scream, since power outages aren't common here, and there is little movement. Then we hear the Pigmen closing in on the front door.

I use my sense of hearing to navigate through the dark, holding Eleanor's hand tightly as I do so. When I reach Katniss and Steve, Samus has just come up behind me. My vision finally adjusts, and I look around at all six of my comrades.

"Everyone's here." I say. "Let's go."

We leave just as the chaos starts, and Steve leads us through the tunnels with a torch. Katniss hands out our weapons, and I'm strapping my sword and shield to my back when I see the bag of TNT.

"Guys, take this!" I say. "I'll hold them off!"

I toss the bag to Samus, then wait for them to be out of sight before I draw my sword. Miklo, followed by a wave of Pigmen, runs towards me, weapons drawn.

"I will kill you for ruining my city!" He lunges, but I kick him back into the Pigmen and run. That's when I hear TNT from behind me, and then ahead. The others have made their way out, and now I'm about to get blown up.

I run faster and faster, Miklo, the Pigmen and the TNT on my heels, not realizing how dangerously close the explosives are getting.

The last thing I remember before blacking out is getting thrown into the water.

* * *

***SAMUS***

We watch as the whole city explodes in front of us, hoping that Link has made it out before it's too late.

"Come on, Link." I say. "You can make it."

The rest of the city explodes, and I know Link is gone. I'm too flustered to say anything, trying to hold back the tears that threaten to pour out of my eyes. I almost lose it when I hear coughing from my right. I look over to see Miklo crawling out of the moat, coughing and dragging his sword behind him. Katniss and I point our weapons at him, and I make sure to switch to my Plasma Beam. That way I can use my Flamethrower to burn him to death if he doesn't cooperate.

"Where is Link?" Katniss asks defiantly.

"Th-the boy is d-dead." Miklo says. "Gone with my c-city. You'll never see him again."

Eleanor breaks down into tears, and I can barely hear it because she's only exhaling and crying, no voice involved. I, too, can no longer hold in my tears, and I lose it entirely. Not only have I lost a dear friend, but I've also lost someone I could call "brother". Someone I could call my family. I can hear him telling me not to cry, that everything is fine. But everything is not fine. His voice is simply a figment of my imagination. Or... wait a minute. I look up to see that Eleanor has already beaten me to him. They are locked in a tight embrace, and when she finally lets go I take my turn, but not before I turn off my Varia Suit and return to my Zero Suit.

"Aw," Link says. "I liked that tunic."

I laugh, something that I hadn't done in years. But there was no way I was wearing that thing again. It felt too... old-fashioned. We let go of our embrace, and Link walks slowly over to Miklo, his sword drawn. All of the blood drains from Miklo's face.

"P-please," Miklo says quietly. "D-don't kill me."

"I won't kill you yet." He says. "I want you to tell me where Herobrine's base is." He can say the word freely, since we're still in front of the ruined city, which I could tell was done by Herobrine's hand.

"The Island of Fire." Miklo says nervously. "In Antioch. That's where we'll find him."

"No, not WE." Link snaps. "You're staying here to die."

"I think we should take him." Steve says. "He can show us where this Island of Fire is."

"Wait." Katniss retorts. "You were the one that said we-"

"I know what I said!" Steve forces himself to calm down. "But I don't know where the Island is. I know it's definitely in Antioch, but Miklo is the only one who knows its exact whereabouts. He will take us there."

"I would rather die than have some tyrant lead us to his leader's home, only to turn around and imprison us." Katniss snaps. "I say leave him."

"No." Link says. "He will come with us until we no longer need him. After that, I'll give you the honor of killing him, Catnip."

I can see Katniss prepare to punch Link in the face. Did she not like that nickname? I think it's genius. Before she can land the blow, I intercept.

"I understand there's a lot of tension." I say. "But we need to find Herobrine NOW. And maybe, just maybe, having a tyrant for a prisoner isn't such a bad idea. If anything bad happens because of him, I'll let 'Catnip' take care of it."

I pat Katniss on the shoulder and smile, only to get a glare and a threat of a punch. "Stay, kitty."

We set off in the direction we were heading earlier that day, and I can make out a small argument behind me as we walk.

"Only one person is allowed to call me Catnip, and it's not you." Katniss growls.

"Sorry," Link apologizes pathetically. "Just thought we could use some humor. Who gave you that nickname, anyway?"

"None of your business."

"Alright, I'll just figure it out myself. Again."

Katniss purposely bumps into me as she storms off to join Steve. I turn around and wink at Link, and he just laughs. Something tells me he knows who gave Katniss that wonderful nickname.


	4. Chapter 4

***LINK***

We make camp on a small cliff next to a forest. Steve recreates our last wall to the best of his efforts, but this time there's no tree, no overhang. Just a wall surrounding our cliff. Most of it is stone, with Eleanor's iron door in the center, but there's a fence on the opposite side of the door with a view that I've personally nicknamed "Sunny Side Down", just because of the sunset that we're about to see. It's still only around 5pm.

Mario kind of stopped functioning at around 3pm, so we climbed the small mountain we're now on and set up a bed for him. I know he'll be fine, he just needs some rest. But after we realized why he shut down, I gave Miklo a real piece of my mind, and Luigi actually helped out with that. It's not easy being green.

During the fort-building process, Miklo started ordering us around, telling us where to place the blocks and such. I nearly wanted to jump off the cliff, but it was the mission that saved me. To shut him up, I made a small 10x1 bridge of cobblestone (Which, somehow, didn't need supports), a 4x4x4 compartment at the end that's hanging over the cliff, then put him in it. and locked him up. I made sure to give him a bed so he'd at least refrain from whining about discomfort, but that didn't help much. The good thing about the compartment is that one must enter from the top of it, so that it doesn't obstruct the sunset view.

We eat dinner quietly, making sure to give some to Miklo, and watch as the sunset finally goes down. The view is amazing. The sky is a deep orange with a hint of purple, and there's not a cloud in sight. The trees below glow from the sunlight so well, it looks like fall is coming. But there are no seasons here in Minecraftia, but I could honestly care less. The sun is beautiful.

Samus joins me as I watch the sunset, her blonde hair shimmering in the light. Suddenly I wish we didn't have our little pact. She is just gorgeous.

* * *

Our pact goes back to the finals of the tournament. We were up against each other in the upcoming battle, so we decided to have a quiet evening to ourselves before then. We were sitting on a balcony, watching the sunset go down, enjoying the quiet.

"Link?" She had said. I turn my head to her.

"Yeah?"

"Is there anyone special back in Hyrule, waiting for you?"

I recounted my memories, tracing back to before the match. No one really stood out.

"No." I said. "Well, not anymore. She kind of has more important things to worry about, like ruling the kingdom."

This statement practically gave away the fact that I was once in love with Princess Zelda, who was the most beautiful girl in the kingdom. But she was way out of my league, so I gave up on really loving her.

"Why are you asking me this?" I asked. After the few weeks that I'd known her, she wasn't acting like her normal self.

"I just want to say that..." She trailed off for a second, then continues. "I love you."

I sat in shock, trying to process the words she just spoke to me in my head.

"Samus," I started, but I didn't have the chance to finish before she planted her lips on mine. I didn't know exactly what to do, so I just let it happen. When we separated, I looked at her in complete awe, then finally caught my voice and spoke.

"Samus, listen to me." I cleared my throat. "I don't want to sound like a complete idiot, but I just don't know what to make of all this. We're two totally different people, living on two totally different worlds. It just..." I looked into her beautiful blue eyes. "It wouldn't work."

"Then at least promise me something." Samus said, taking my hand in hers. "Promise me that we'll at least love each other like siblings. So we'll be connected somehow."

"I don't see how that's going to work since you just kissed me." I said jokingly. "But I promise."

* * *

Since that moment, we've pretended to be siblings. But I can easily tell that neither of us have forgotten that kiss we shared so long ago. It was a special moment, alright, and I now wish I had never said what I did then. But I can't change the past anymore. I lost the Ocarina of Time, plus I'm not even in Hyrule. But maybe I can change the future. No, not now.

For the first time, I notice she's not wearing her Zero Suit or the blue tunic, which, for some odd reason, she kept. She's wearing short red shorts, her combat boots, and a red top that doesn't cover her stomach at all. Yeah, she's a beauty, all right. I'm such an idiot.

I get the feeling of several pairs of eyes on me, and I turn around to see that everyone is looking at us. I instantly realize where my left hand is, and I look down to see it placed over Samus' hand. How long has that been there?

"Took you long enough to notice." Samus says. Neither of us move our hands, trying to savor the moment. Clearly, that doesn't last long.

"You two lovebirds are hogging the sunset." Katniss says. "Besides, Link, it's your watch."

"Whatever you say," I snap, then add in something that's sure to piss her off. "Catnip."

The others laugh at this, and even Katniss can't hold back a smile. I carefully climb a ladder that leads to a watch tower that Katniss and Eleanor constructed, though I can tell Eleanor did more of the work. At least Katniss wasn't being lazy.

* * *

I must have dozed off during the night, because I find myself waking up to view a magnificent sunrise. The orange and yellow light glows with enough power to awaken even the laziest of us, whom I think is Mario. I quietly sneak down the ladder of the tower, only to find everyone else has awakened. Even Miklo is out of his little cell, and all of them seem to be enjoying a breakfast of eggs and sliced porkchops (Or, in Luigi's terms, bacon).

"Well, look who stayed up all night without waking me." Samus jokes. She hands me a plate of food and motions for me to sit down. "You fell asleep."

"Yes, I did." I say, already a mouthful of eggs stuffing my face. I chew and swallow. "Sorry."

"No problem. I'll just make sure you don't keep watch again. What if we get attacked?"

"Please," Miklo says. "What's going to attack a tiny little cobblestone block like this? If anything, it's not even worthy of existence."

"Miklo, you're not worthy of existence, what with your pathetic lifestyle." I snap. I'm about ready to throw my Medigoron Knife at him. Most of us laugh, but it's Eleanor and Miklo who remain silent. Finally, Miklo makes an attempt to counter my beautiful insult.

"Some of us prefer to live more..." He struggles to find the proper word. "Regally, shall we say, than others, mainly because it's in our blood." It takes all I've got not to choke on my food.

"Miklo, some of us actually ENJOY simple life." I say. "After all 'it's in our blood'"

Miklo sets down his plate and grabs his pickaxe, hacking away at the wall of the base. I guess fun-time is over.

* * *

It doesn't take us long to take down the fort. Once everything is packed inside Steve's bag, we suit up and head off. It doesn't take us long to reach the last field in the kingdom before the ocean, which lies behind a small mountain range just ahead of just. Already I can smell the sea air.

We are just about to ascend the mountains when an ominous rumbling begins, as if the entire earth is shaking.

"Earthquake?" I ask Steve. He shakes his head, and a worrisome look on his face appears.

"Worse. Zombies."

"Don't be stupid." Miklo snaps. "Zombies burn in daylight!"

"Not the armored ones." Steve draws his sword. I do the same, and soon everyone has weapons ready. Yet, nothing comes. Then we see the first armored head. Katniss takes him out with one shot, but about a dozen follow up behind him. Soon, at least fifty or so Zombies are attacking us, trying to kill us with either shovels, iron ingots, wooden swords, or with their bare, green hands.

We counterattack, throwing all our weight into our weapons and smacking the horrid creatures down. I can see several flying backwards, and I notice Steve's sword is glowing a purplish-blue. He sends several Zombies skyward, lighting them on fire as they fly. Why can't my sword do that?

In a matter of minutes, we're tired, and there are still two dozen Zombies surrounding us, slowly closing in to eat us alive. I'm searching for a way out when I remember Steve's sword, and its power to light monsters on fire. I pull out a small reddish orb and toss it to Katniss.

"What's this?" She asks.

"You're the "Girl on Fire", right?" I reply. I hear a sigh, and I know I've done my job in annoying her with the Triforce again. Taking this as her answer, I continue. "Throw the orb on the ground. With force."

I hear a small crack, and fire instantly surrounds us. Somehow, Mario and Luigi knew exactly what the orb meant, and they used some kind of fire-manipulating magic to protect us, while letting the fire expand and kill the remaining Zombies.

We put away our weapons, and I do a head count. All of us are present except for Miklo and...

"Eleanor!" The words come out of my mouth before I can stop them. I scan the field frantically, hoping for a sign she's still around. I almost miss the two of them walking back the way we came. Or, wait... is Miklo dragging her?

Before anyone can object, I draw my sword and race forward towards the two. I don't know why Miklo is heading back, nor do I care that he's important to the mission, but right now I'm giving in to the fighter inside me and killing him. Besides, wasn't that part of the mission?

My sword goes through his gut before he even knows I'm there, but he doesn't die, let alone bleed. Instead, he simply turns his head around 180 degrees. I nearly faint as I look into his blood-red eyes.

"You will never kill me." He says, then disappears by himself. Why didn't he do that earlier?

Eleanor is still shaken up by the sudden event. I reach out to lead her back to the others, but she rejects, saying in sign language that she can walk by herself. Whatever floats her boat, then. I pick up the fallen sword that Miklo wielded, examining it's surface carefully. Whatever this sword does, it looks quite powerful. The purple-gold surface glows with a power that even I can't understand. I store it in my pouch and lead Eleanor back to the group.

* * *

It's a long time before we all make it to the top of the mountain range. Mario's concussion came back in full force, and Steve is suffering from a leg wound. A deep one, actually. One porkchop later, and there's no sign of any cuts on him, anywhere. Unfortunately, it takes more than one single porkchop to get Mario back in gear. Of the six porkchops we had left since breakfast, only two remain.

At the top of the summit, a little blue bird flutters up to him, carrying a message. Steve takes the message and sets the bird free, then opens up the parchment and reads:

_Steve,_

_I'm ready to depart when you are. We will await your arrival._

_Captain Darius of the Fireship_

"Well," Steve says. "That's her, right there. The Fireship."

It's a magnificent ship, really. A large, mahogany vessel with carved wooden flames on either side. On the back is written _Fireship_ in bold, fiery letters. It has three tall masts, the sails rolled up, ready to go. Several people -about 20-25- are taking on different jobs of the ship, awaiting the orders of the captain.

We waste no more time in getting down the mountain, which is surprisingly smaller on this side. In about 20 or so minutes, we come to the docks of the awaiting ship, where the captain awaits us.

"Welcome, Legends." The captain says. "You got my message quick, Steve."

"We were on the top of that mountain when we received it."

"Well, that certainly wasn't what I was expecting." He wipes his brow. "Come aboard, then. Hey, Sikes!"

A man next to the wheel turns around. "Aye, Cap'n?"

"Prepare the sails and hoist the anchors! We're off to Antioch!"

"Aye aye, Cap'n!" He turns and shouts some orders to the rest of the crew, and the captain directs us on board the great vessel. It being the first time I've been on a real ship, I knew I was going to get seasick on this journey. I look at some of the others, and I realize I'm not the only one. Luigi is looking greener than ever.


End file.
